1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grip or handle of a sports pole, such as a ski pole and, more particularly, a pole of the type having such grip or handle at its upper end.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
On sports poles, such as ski poles, the handle, or grip, or grip handle, is generally provided with a closed loop strap known as a wrist strap, which is affixed to the handle, and through which the skier passes his hand in order to avoid losing his pole when he unexpectedly opens his hand on the handle. Another function of the wrist strap is to enable a better transmission of forces, particularly when leaning on the pole, either for making turns in alpine skiing, or for the stride or skating step in cross-country skiing, or yet for in-line roller skating or ice skating, but also for walking.
To be really efficient, a wrist strap must partially encircle the wrist, with the two end strands of the loop connected to the handle passing along the palm of the hand.
However, the majority of skiers, particularly novice skiers, do not position the wrist strap properly, which completely eliminates the efficiency thereof and the effect of its transmission of forces. Moreover, to improve the quality of the impulse force on the pole, the poles used, particularly for cross-country skiing, include a wrist strap that is conventionally connected to the rear surface of the handle. According to this arrangement, the hand takes support on the wrist strap, inwardly in the area of the metacarpus of the thumb, on the thumb muscle. However, this support obtained on a muscle is inefficient and can prove painful for said muscle.
This is the reason why it has already been proposed to integrate the wrist strap into a glove or the like which can be slipped onto the skier""s hand, and to connect it to the handle by a removable connecting system constituted by complementary mechanisms arranged on the handle, on the one hand, and on the wrist strap integrated into the glove, on the other hand.
Such a device has been envisioned and described in the commonly owned French Patent Application No. 2 634 388 and related U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,629, and which, by merely putting on the glove or an adequate envelope/sheath provided with an element for connecting to the handle of the pole, makes it possible to obtain an adequate connection between the user""s hand and the pole, namely a connection with transmission of forces.
Such an improvement therefore makes it possible to particularly improve the transmission of forces.
The problem of transmission of forces also exists on ski poles or the like which do not comprise a wrist strap.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to further improve the existing grips or handles, and to propose an improvement enabling an optimized transmission of forces between the hand and the handle of the pole, especially a ski pole, whether or not the latter is provided with a wrist strap, and whether the wrist strap is integrated into the pole or into the glove. It also has the object of improving the grip and the contact between the hand and the handle of the pole by ensuring a steady and powerful contact.
To this end, the invention relates to a pole, of the type comprising, at its upper end, a grip or handle provided or not provided with a closed loop strap or wrist strap, either affixed to the handle or integrated into a glove or the like that is slipped onto the user""s hand and connected to the handle by a removable connecting system constituted by complementary attachment mechanisms arranged on the handle, on the one hand, and on the wrist strap integrated into the glove, on the other hand, wherein the handle includes a support point projecting from its side wall and capable of cooperating in support with the user""s thumb, so as to constitute an additional means for axial transmission of forces by the thumb. Such a construction makes it possible to considerably increase the power transmitted when pushing on a pole by also using the thrust force exerted by the thumb. Indeed, the support optimizes the power of the support since it is localized in the area of the first, or proximal, phalanx of the thumb.
In a first embodiment, the support is fixed on the handle of the pole.
In a second embodiment, the support is substantially rotationally movable with respect to the handle so as to better follow the hand movements during the impulse phase on the pole.
The instant invention also relates to characteristics which will become apparent from the description that follows, and which should be considered separately or according to all of their possible technical combinations.